possible new player with questions

[Cyren]

I have searched the AC website but found no info on races and classes available for the game. This will be the one turning point in my decision to buy. so if someone could shed some light and let me know what races and classes are available, I would deary appreciate it. :p

[Shriva]

Its not a class based system.. Its a skill based system.

Here a good list of the skills..
http://ac.warcry.com/index.php3?content=compendium/advance/skills

[ShaunaEyebright]

Something to add to Shriva's post...

That link contains not only a list of the available skills in the game, but also a link to more information about how skills and attributes work in Asheron's Call.

It should be noted that one of the more interesting things about AC is that your character's skills and abilities can be changed over time, through both the judicious expediture of XP, and through the completion of quests. You are not locked into any one particular skillset. While a character's base attributes will determine how effective certain skills are, it is entirely possible for a single character to be adept in more than one playstyle. You are limited only by your imagination, patience, and creativity in training skills. ;)


As for races...there are four races available in Asheron's Call. Aside from their starting skill sets, the races are identical in ability; they differ only in appearance and game lore. The races are:


Aluvian - "Aluvians are a fiercely individualistic and warlike people, quick to anger but with a strong love of justice and fairness. Though often suspicious of things new and strange, they are friendly and always prepared with a little help if they can spare it. They are loyal to their feudal lords, but expect to be well-treated in return...The first people to arrive on Dereth Island were Aluvians: they have settled in the fields and hills around Lake Cragstone." The closest paralell in the real world that can be drawn to Aluvian culture would be that of Western Europe (mainly England) during the Middle Ages. Aluvian characters have skin, hair, and eye colors that resemble caucasians.

Gharu'ndim - "Desert-dwellers who prefer knowledge and trade to war and bloodshed, the Gharun'dim are an eminently honorable, formal culture, but they also have a reputation for being somewhat distant and proud. Of all the peoples of Dereth, they are the most drawn to the mysteries of magic... Preferring to talk before fighting whenever possible, they speak with great politeness and formality, peppering their speech with honorifics and references to their national hero, the poet Yasif ibn Salayyar. The Gharu dwell in the desert areas of Dereth." The Gharu culture is an amalgamation of Middle-Eastern and African history. They have generally dark-colored hair and eyes, and their skin tones range from light tan to almost jet black.

Sho - "The Sho are a people for whom duty and self-discipline are the highest virtues. Normally peaceful, they have nonetheless raised warfare to an art form...The Sho view the world in terms of absolute, universal laws. Their guiding principles are represented by three Elder Spirits: the Unicorn of grace, the Firebird of splendor, and the Dragon of power. They speak succinctly and regard other peoples with suspicion, but a Sho friend is a friend for life. The Sho have settled in the south east areas of Dereth." The Sho's real-world counterpart is the Japanese. They have generally Asian hair, eye, and skin tones.

Viamontian - "Viamont, is one of Ispar's most agressive and expansionistic domains. A strong sense of duty to king and country (and rumors of a secret police), helped Viamont rise above the petty squabbles that consumed the neighboring Aluvian clans. As Viamont grew, expansionistic ideals began to take root in its courts." Viamontian history is loosely based upon the French, however they look nothing like any frenchman I've ever seen. Their hair can be just about any normal human color and their eyes are usually purple, green, or blue. Their skin can be just about any shade of blue! Note: only players who have purchased the Throne of Destiny expansion may play as a Viamontian.

[Cezium]

The race changes some skills that you get for free.

Aluvians get dagger as a weapon and assess person(see peoples stats, useless skill)

Sho get unarmed combat (the best of all the "free" weapon skills and one of the better in the game period)

Gharu'ndim have staff skill and item tinkering (item tinkering will let you get full salvage for less xp than the salvaging skill that everyone gets and also will let you modify your items but not in the most valuable ways)

Viamontians have specialized loyalty(your patron gains more xp from you hunting) and trained armor tinkering for free(raise the armor level of your armor)

The tinkering skills are something that you can always go to other players for if you choose(and should for harder jobs)



Players follow some templates for maximum effectiveness which could be like a class but you don't have to. You can make a character that is strong at fighting with a melee weapon and magics or you can make one that is just strong at fighting.

[Chrono]

Players follow some templates for maximum effectiveness which could be like a class but you don't have to. You can make a character that is strong at fighting with a melee weapon and magics or you can make one that is just strong at fighting.The latter being actually a LOT more difficult to set up properly, but the rewards can also be immense if you hunt in the right places and understand your role.

Also, just an FYI, no "aggro" system in this game. Enemies have attack patterns (such as last attacker, first attacker, etc.)

[Cyren]

Thanks for all the great info everyone.
What types of Character Customizations are available. I saw that a new upgraded graphics was installed.
I guess I am asking is there the opportunity to change hair, face, and even size of a character.
My husband and I have been looking for a game in the fantasy genre to subdue us till DDO comes out and then as an alternative. He really wants to play a character along the lines of a halfling. Neither of us want to go with WoW or EQ2 as they reminded us a bit too much of the other games we have played in the past. We played Eq for 2 1/2 years and I played Horizons for a while and then both of us played Lineage2 but alas that game had too many, problems to make it worth its time.

Any suggestions or idea would help sway us for sure. If we do buy it we will do so next week. Do you have to have all the expansions in order to get the fullest out of the game? And is there a way to buy them all in one compelation and not have to buy each individually?

[Cuaradan]

Thanks for all the great info everyone.
What types of Character Customizations are available. I saw that a new upgraded graphics was installed.
I guess I am asking is there the opportunity to change hair, face, and even size of a character.
My husband and I have been looking for a game in the fantasy genre to subdue us till DDO comes out and then as an alternative. He really wants to play a character along the lines of a halfling. Neither of us want to go with WoW or EQ2 as they reminded us a bit too much of the other games we have played in the past. We played Eq for 2 1/2 years and I played Horizons for a while and then both of us played Lineage2 but alas that game had too many, problems to make it worth its time.

Any suggestions or idea would help sway us for sure. If we do buy it we will do so next week. Do you have to have all the expansions in order to get the fullest out of the game? And is there a way to buy them all in one compelation and not have to buy each individually?


Most of your other questions were answered well, so I will only hit the last ones. There are some customization options such as hair, face, skin tone, etc. but changes to height or build of your character is not a option. Once in-game, there is a very wide variety of armor and clothing types which will have the most impact on the look of your character. All generated items can be dyed as well, so a good selection of style/color schemes are available.

As for which expansions are needed, you only need to buy Throne of Destiny, which is the latest expansion for AC1. It will contain all material in the game.

I hope you choose to give AC a try, because I do believe it is the best one out there. I have played off and on since beta, and have tried several others and researched most of them, and always come back to AC, and enjoy it alot. If you decide to give it a try and have more questions in game, juse look me up on the Thistledown server. Good hunting. ;)

~Cuaradan~
TD

http://www.lightlords.4t.com/

[Cyren]

Thank you so much. SO basically all characters look humanistic. Nothing around the look of an elf or such? I will have to talk to my husband, considering there are no halflings or non-human races, he may not be interested. Especially seeing we could get Guild Wars with no monthly fee and have that. But I have friend who is playing, so I can find out more from him and then see what the hubby wants to do.

[Chrono]

If you want a LOTR clone with halflings elves and dwarves, you will have to go elsewhere. Just because it doesn't have them though, doesn't mean it is any less compelling. This game has an EXTREMELY unique setting and storyline. I suggest you immerse yourself in the lore to try and understand why things aare as they are. This is fantasy and some people use swords, but that is about as far as the similarities go.

Give it a try!!!!!!! This actually angers me so I apologize, but maybe tell your husband he NEEDS a change? All those other games are friggin clones of one another. You go from one game to another oh look, elves and halflings.. go to another, oh look more of the same!

AC1, while having less variety in physical build, makes up for it in every other aspect of how characters can appear. Faces are totally customizable. There are several hairstyles, several haircolors of which you can choose the exact tone. You can choose individually which eyes/hairline, nose/cheeks, and mouth/chin you want. You can change skin tone and eye color. There are 4 heritages which essentially come down to: white people, black/east indian people, asian people, and crazy ass blue people. They have different starting skills, but a lot of it is aesthetic choice, which IMO is a very good system.

The primary thing you will do once you get some levels and resources at your disposal to custoimize the look of your character is armor. Simply put this game has TONS AND TONS of different armor types! Not only that, but every last type of them is viable (from the loot, depending on stats), and can be tinkered (or improved). Loot is randomly generated, so an armor piece's stats will not only differ, so it will have a primary color color (which can be dyed with several options, none of which look cheap), and most have a "trim color" which cannot be dyed. So sometimes the hunt for armor is looking for stuff with the trim color you want with nice stats and maybe even a major cantrip (nice magic spell) which you can then dye to customize your character. Also you will wear shirts and pants of cloth under your armor. These can be ddyed too and some armor takes some part's of it's trim color from your underclothes color. So you can create very dazzling color combinations that look damned nice if you put the work into it!

If you asked for everyone in AC to piost pics of their characters, many would look substantially different. Some people are in a special quest armor dubbed Blackmire Armor and Amuli is still very popular (it used to be unbalanced and more useful than every other type, it was fixed but some people have their old suits still) but you can wear essentially anything you want to customize how you look. It is very, very easy to tell who is who in a crowd if you know people because of how distinct people often look from one another.

Ohand um.. GO, read to your heart's content..

http://www.thejackcat.com/AC/Culture/culture.htm

[Cyren]

OK. That was uncalled for. Actually, he does not like the way halflings are depicted in other games. the concept of short, stubby and hairy feet does not appeal to him. He is looking for something more out of the 3.5 Ed D&D. Humanistic but shorter, much shorter. Plus he plays a female so it makes it more pleasing to the eye.
I am sorry, but to me having only humanistic races, is nothing different than our own world. I happen to like elves and such, as I am an avid D&D player. It adds a little fantasy to it.

We are discussing things however, do not be so brash. I just feel that something completely humanistic reminds me a lot of either Guild Wars and Anarchy online. I like a little variety and I do like elves. It is the gameplay and general attitude of people from those other games that turns me off. Yes, they are all clones of one another but the halfling, elf etc, is one of the few things I like about them. Its merely a part of those games I did enjoy.

You do not have to be rude but instead, just give me some reasons to come here, not reasons to chase me away with an attitude.

[Chrono]

I didn't mean to be rude, my apologies. I just have a great passion for the game and I'm trying to explain to you that not having elves is not a bad thing an I certainly was not trying to be mean, I have a tendency to fluctuate between angry, overenthusiastic, happy, etc. (I think I covered all those in my last post) Maybe I should put a big red I'm Bipolar, look out! warning label in my sig :p

I think it comes down to.. perhaps you should just try the game and make judgements for yourself. You can listen to us fans talk about the gamne we like so much all you want, but the simple fact is the only people who can decide whether you and your husband would enjoy the game is.. you and your husband. Another thing to consider is that.. we may all in fact be totally failing to mention something about the game that you didn't think to ask about yourself, yet you would absolutely love. It can work the other way too, but there's that possibility.

Be well and good luck!

[Cuaradan]

Cyren,

I realize Chrono's approach and choice of words hit some nerves, and sounded like an attack, but I would encourage you to not let that keep you from taking an open look at AC. While his fervor borders on obsession :rolleyes: , and his diplomacy skills have been neglected, there are many true points made in his comments. And if you can look past it, his strong feelings on these topics, actually say good things about the appeal of AC. You will find that many of its' fans are very strong minded, and do have a passion for the game, as Chrono mentioned.

However, all that being said, your points about all player characters being very similar is true. But I believe you will find that there is so much diversity in the creatures of Dereth, so much heritage in the different player races and a simply stunning amount of lore in the whole of Dereth, that any dissapointment you would find in the player races, would be more that made up for everywhere else. AC is one of the very few MMORPGs that has a truly unique environment and ecosystem. The fact that none of the "familar" bad guys can be found, is an added bonus that is hard to describe. For me it helps make it seem like an adventure, since I don't know what to expect from these completely foreign creatures. Well, was like that when I first fought them... kind have an idea now, after 6+ years. :p

I to am an avid D&D fan, or rather was in the past since I don't play anymore. AC was never intended to mimic something like D&D, but it does offer some of the same types of enjoyment, like all MMORPGs are intended to do. For me, the two biggest things these kind of games offer are adventure and exploration of unknown situations, and interaction with other real people, who are on the same adventure. AC's uniqueness in lore, creatures, style and gameplay help to make the experience of AC very much like and adventure, at least for those that choose to enjoy it. There are many players that are here to powerlevel and advance only, and they are welcome to it. However, for those that choose to slow down and look at what Dereth has to offer, they get to enjoy an environment and journey that I do not think is offered by any other game out there. Don't get me wrong, AC has it's faults and quirks, as we all do, but underlying it all is true adventure of almost epic scope.... which has always been the basis for things like D&D, Tolkien's world and many others out there.

I also want to mention that while every game has its' own problems with people and bad attitudes, I have always been greatly pleased with the playerbase of AC. I have met some of the best people I have ever met, here in AC, some of which I have known for 6 years. The quality of the playerbase is also one of the things that draws me to AC. While it is definitely smaller than many games out there, in quality, they are the best overall.

Anyway, as you can see my feelings on the subject run strong as well. :D I do encourage you to give AC a try. If you enjoy taking an adventure I really think AC will suit your tastes, and most likely surprise you greatly, along the way.

Anyway, I ramble on so I will stop now. Good hunting to you.

~Cuaradan~
Thistledown

http://www.lightlords.4t.com/

[Strider]

If yall decide to join us in Dereth and come to Wintersebb, look me up. I'll be happy to answer any and all questions I can. Can help you with some armor and weapons to if want though starting out with just the basics and playing your way thru the lower level stuff would be better imo.

I think you'd get more enjoyment out of it and learn how things work in Dereth better. So much gets skipped nowadays cause everyone is in a hurry to tackle the biggest and baddest stuff right away.

Whatever you chose good luck and good hunting. If you do come to Wintersebb look me up, I'm Striderlongshanks, monarch of the Rangers of Dereth, though can usually find me more on Gandalf da Grey or Striders Blade.

Can you tell I'm a Tolkien fan? :D

Strider

[Cyren]

I think it is more my husband's burning urge to play a halfling female rogue from his D&D campaigns that drives him more than anything. With DDO not due out til next year, we are both itching for a good game which we can portray our characters. We have had offers from friends in both EQ2 and WoW but in all honesty, those two are just merely clones of themselves and EQ original. Our friends have even offered to "fund" our characters per say or get us in guilds. And out of all honesty, while that is nice, I do like to make things on my own. It is tempting and all. I guess we will just have to continue talking it over. Seeing that AC is the cheaper of the most games these days and we have NO desire to go back to EQ or Lineage2, we will have to make up our minds sometime because 6+ months is a LONG time to wait for DDO.
I know it sounds cold that I am looking for a game to pass my time till another comes out but currently we play CoH and have two level 50s and several nearing it but there is only so much hero work one can take in a world that looks much like our own.

I wish a lot of these games would offer more trial times outside of the 30 days free. It would help make these decisions much easier.

[Shriva]

could always get one copy of the game and then try it out for the free month..

Total cost 29.95 or so...

I would suggest playing on frostfell or one of the more active worlds.

And while the chars are humanoid.. its not THAT much like the real world..

No guns/cars/horses in this game..

You do have swords/other weapons/bows/xbows/ war magic/critter/item/life magic.

Also, no "zones" in this game.. you can start running at one end of the world and run non-stop to the other side... if you live..lol\

And its HUGE.

[Cyren]

I did a little more checking on other games and it seems there are only three out there that have halflings. One is EQ, another is EQ2 and the last is LOTR. And needless to say all of them depict halflings as well short stubby, fat little hairfooted people and that is not what the hubby wants.
I also looked into WOW...OMG, it looks like something out of a very well done children's cartoon. It was sad. Sure it was pretty and all but it looked like something out of a digimon episode.

so you may see me in AC after all. We will have to start with one CD before I can get my husband into it enough.

[Osix]

Ok you can take this how you want but its not ment to be disrespectful in any way.

K the bad part now.... Techicaly Halflings are based on a real race of people from Indonesia they died out in a volcanic blast only about 1800 years ago. And yes there were short and stumpy aprox 3.5 feet tall wide (child bearing) hips covered by hair on 80% of there body... yada yada...


Ok now on to the meat of it.
Yall sound like adults.. AC is a adult game. kids dont fare well here. Just the facts... some do ok but on average most dont.

AC is a game that is a great time killer till MEO or DDO but more so than that let us take a look at the market.

Games out there that you must invest a LARGE amount of time in to enjoy... geting group raiding yada yada.
EQ, AO, DAoC, EQ2, WoW, Lin2, EvE, MatrixO, CoH

You name me any game on market for a MMO and its I need a group here there left right up down.

AC is built around playing when you want how you what doing what you want. Just about everything in game is duo able that way you and your loved one is on you can log in go kill a Boss do a Quest .... ACCUALLY get something accomplished with your character stead of sitting arround PoTraq for 3 hours waiting on group.

Either way I am with one of oldest guilds in game the fury just a big family oriented guild just like yall lot of husband wife combo's and rl friends mostly the web sight is....

http://fury.cybersomnia.com/

Check it out look.

[Cyren]

Well, it would be nice to get what we want but he likes the 3.5 ed halflings but guess what, because of all the great replies I have gotten here and from speaking with a friend whom does play, we will be going out and getting at least one copy tomorrow.

[Osix]

Glad to hear it. Welp if yall decided to play thistledown please look up Verio / Isix We are on in some fastion every day day time and the occastional late night.

Edit :: Just FYI Thistledown is a NON PK server. Yup we are the odd ball carebears.

[Merius]

I for one can understand about the halfling thing. I am also a major D&D fan, but this game is not D&D. Wizards of the Coast is not one of the makers or supports as far as I know.
What I can tell you, is that I've played for about five years off and on now, not because of what classes the game has, but because how fun it is. Sure you can go to a game that has halflings, but what the point if your not going to have fun. The other thing is that this game has been around for so long, that they have worked out just about all the bugs in it, which mean alot less errors. Another fact about this game that makes it fun, is the quests. This game has so many of them I think It would take at least two solid months to do them, if not more. Also unlike EQ, you don't need to keep buying the exspansion. Most game updates are done ingame. The game has had two exspansions so far, but thats not bad for a game that has been out for more than 5 years.
I just hope that you like the game for the game play, and the fun that you can have in it. Oh and typing in @help in game brings up a help menu. I would advise looking up @help emotes it is where you can have your toon do some strange stuff :)

Merius of TD

[CrazyPoster]

The are no half-lings, three-quarter-lings, elfs or santa clauses in Asheron's Call, because this is NOT fantasy, this is for REAL!

J.R.R. books was there on the selfs for years. Not nearly everybody knew about them (I read the books first time in the 1970-ies). Then *POFF* suddenly due to comercial "smartness" everybody knows about the character types of the books - and everybody wants to be one. Let that world be that world, and come to the greatest of all worlds - The world of Asheron's Call! :)